Sandy Springs Youth Sports Football and Cheer Teams Up with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

    ATLANTA, GA, June 06, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Sandy Spring Youth Sports Football and Cheer at Morgan Falls Park is teaming up with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta to provide baseline concussion testing, education, and prevention to the participants of its youth sports program. The youth program implemented a concussion prevention protocol developed by the National Alliance for Youth Sports and has now paired that with top-of-the line helmets and shoulder pads.

Through the collaboration, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is:
• Evaluating the program's concussion protocol and equipment;
• Offering baseline concussion testing for every player and cheerleader who would like to participate; and
• Providing a concussion education session for parents, coaches, and board members before practices begin.

The baseline concussion testing is scheduled for Friday July 15th and Saturday July 16th with practices starting late July.

"While research indicates that youth football at the age of our participants results in a low number of injuries, safety is our highest priority and concerns expressed by parents have motivated us to address the issue of concussions aggressively," said Sandy Springs Youth Sports Football and Cheer Board President Ryan Dwyer.

According to United Press International, Inc., "a new study from the University of Iowa Health Care has found that youth flag football may not be safer than youth tackle football. Results showed injuries were more likely to occur in flag football than in tackle football, however, there was no significant difference in the severity of the injuries between the two groups. Results of the study also showed that the number of injuries in youth football overall were relatively low, considering about 2.8 million youth age 6 to 14 participate in youth football in the United States."

Sandy Springs Youth Sports Football and Cheer, known as the Saints, offers flag football for kindergarten through first graders, tackle football for second through sixth graders, and cheerleading for pre-kindergarten through sixth graders. Registration is currently open for the fall 2017 season with early registration discounts through June 15, 2017.

For more information, visit http://www.sandyspringsfootball.com and connect with Sandy Springs Youth Sports Football and Cheer on Facebook and Twitter.

About Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta has been 100 percent dedicated to kids for more than 100 years. A not-for-profit organization, Children's is dedicated to making kids better today and healthier tomorrow. Our specialized care helps children get better faster and live healthier lives. Managing more than a million patient visits annually at three hospitals, Marcus Autism Center, and 27 neighborhood locations, Children's is the largest healthcare provider for children in Georgia and one of the largest pediatric clinical care providers in the country. Children's offers access to more than 60 pediatric specialties and programs and is ranked among the top children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report. With generous philanthropic and volunteer support since 1915, Children's has impacted the lives of children in Georgia, the United States and throughout the world. Visit http://www.choa.org for more information.

About National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS)
NAYS is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that promotes the value and importance of sports and physical activity in the emotional, physical, social and mental development of children. Participation in sports develops important character traits and life-long values which can positively affect children if the adults involved have proper training and information. The mission of the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) is to provide educational programs and resources to improve youth sports programs worldwide. Visit http://www.nays.org for more information.

Sandy Springs Youth Sports Football and Cheer, known as the Saints, offers flag football for kindergarten through first graders, tackle football for second through sixth graders, and cheerleading for pre-kindergarten through sixth graders. Registration is currently open for the fall 2017 season with early registration discounts through June 15, 2017. For more information, visit http://www.sandyspringsfootball.com and connect with Sandy Springs Youth Sports Football and Cheer on Facebook and Twitter.

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